Where it all begins
by Lady Threarah
Summary: YYHIY. Yusuke finds a document in Raizens study, and goes to find the family he hadn't spoken to in years. 1st in the Crossover series.
1. Chapter 1

A.N.: Okay, this has been bouncing around in my head for a while now. It's basically the prequal to Crossover Madness, but both can be read without the other. This one starts off slow, with just InuYasha being crossed over. Hopefully I've done it differently than the others out there.

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my laptop, so don't bother with the lawsuits.**

Somewhere, deep in the basements of the Makai, a gigantic castle stood in the middle of a lonely desert. And deep within the castle was a large study, which is where former Spirit Detective Yusuke Urameshi sat as he tried to organize an inhuman amount of paperwork left to him several years previously. Apparently his ancestral father, Raizen, was the sort of person who despised paper in all its forms, and had continued to put off the task of sorting and filing the lot of it until his death. Now it was up to his heir to look through it and put everything in its right place.

Just outside the doorway, Houkeshin sat and worried at his fingernails, wishing for the first time in his life that he had hair just so he could rip it out by the roots. He and all the others who still persisted in following Yusuke even after the Tournament to decide who would be king knew better than to let a _War God_ go into a battle against paperwork alone. But Yusuke had insisted, and they had bowed to the young Lord's wish.

He was jerked from his thoughts by Yusuke's energy skyrocketing and the large desk shattering against the wall separating the two. In a flurry of grey robes he was in the room, ready for battle, only there was no one there to fight. The Toushin was staring at a weathered scroll in his hands with an expression of horror, shock, and fury all rolled into one. Houkeshin relaxed slightly.

"My Lord?" he ventured, and Yusuke looked up at him, still with that look on his face.

"Did you know about this?" his voice was barely above a whisper, and his hands began to tremble.

"Know of what, my Lord?" confused, the S-class stepped closer to get a better look at the scroll in the hands of his master. Wordlessly, it was held out to him. Understanding dawned upon the monk when he confirmed what he was looking at. "Ah, this. This was created long before Lord Raizen was born, and it's purpose is to monitor all those who you would call family. It shows you who is alive, dead, human, demon, their mates and children if they have them, and their location, if known. It's what we used to find you the first time. Is this really so unusual? I though humans had something similar to this?"

Irritated, Yusuke snatched the scroll back. "Well, yeah, but theirs aren't half as detailed as this." He paused, looking at the contents again with a worried expression. "Is this thing up to date? I mean, is it all accurate, right now?"

"Yes, of course. Why?"

At first, he received no answer. Then the Toushin was all motion as he gently rolled the scroll back up and made for the doorway. "Houkeshin, I'm going to be gone for a while. You and the others wouldn't mind finishing this up for me, would you?"

"We would be delighted to, Lord Yusuke. Is something wrong?" the monk trailed after the young man, wondering what was troubling his master so. Yusuke just shrugged as they walked.

"Storm's coming."

A.N.: Please review and let me know if I should continue it and satisfy your curiosity, or if I should just pull it down 'cause it's such a waste of space.


	2. Chapter 2

A.N.: This chapter is dedicated to my four reviewers. And to Pyree, I hope I can make this different enough to be interesting.

**Begin! Chapter 2**

Yusuke jogged along the streets of Tokyo, following what his instincts told him. Well, he says jogged, because he actually needed to go slow enough to look for….

"Urameshi-san!" He screeched to a halt, his eyes drawn to a young man and his girlfriend, both waving him down. A nod to each of them as they came closer. "Hojo, right?"

The guy nodded, trying to summon his courage to speak to someone whose legend still managed to freak him out. "Yes, Urameshi-san. Yuka-chan and I want to ask you a favor."

Yusuke shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Actually, I have something very important to do at the moment-"

"Please, Urameshi-san, it's about Kagome-chan!" the girl interrupted him, fisting both hand into his T-shirt. To Yusuke, it felt like his heart had dropped out his shoes, but he kept his face calm. "I'm listening."

"Ever since we were fifteen, she's been missing school for days at a time. Her family says that she's sick, but she doesn't _look_ sick to us! And a little after this started, she started complaining about her boyfriend, who sounds like a real jerk, 'cause he's always talking down to her, and running back to his last girlfriend. But we've never seen this guy! And lately, she's had these weird injuries, like bruises and cuts. It looks like he's been beating her, but she won't admit it! She always defends him, and refuses to leave him. Yesterday she came back, but she had a really bad black eye, and she was limping badly. We asked her about them, but she got mad at us, and now she won't talk to us at all! Please, will you talk to her for us? Will you help her?"

She didn't even have to ask. "What's the name of this boyfriend of hers?" his eyes were hard, and Yuka took a step back. Both humans were reminded once again of why he was respected through out the lower class. She swallowed. "'Inuyasha'. She said his name was 'Inuyasha'."

"Thanks. Consider it done." He turned, and started running in a different direction. Hojo pulled Yuka close, and prayed that Yusuke would be able to help one of the few people he loved.

**_(scene break) (scene break)_**

Kurama, Hiei, and Kuwabara stood at the foot of a mountain of stairs that led to a small temple complex, feeling a little perplexed. Their on and off employer, Koenma, had told them that there had been frequent demon sightings by regular humans, and many gruesome deaths. The godling had been informed by his father that the answers to this mystery coincided with strange pulses of energy that had been coming from within the shrine for seven years now. Koenma was worried, and sent the three of them to investigate. Kuwabara had demanded to know why things had been left as they were for so long, and Koenma had responded that his father had forbidden anyone in investigating. '_These things need to proceed at their own pace,_' he had been told. At that moment Emperor Enma had interjected in the debriefing, saying that this case was delicate, and to be exceedingly careful. Then they were sent on their way.

Hiei scowled at the numerous steps, but said nothing. It was Kuwabara who voiced the opinion they all were thinking. "Sheesh, why are we always having to climb upwards to get to the case. Can't Boton ever drop us off at the top, where we need to be?"

"Because she enjoys making us suffer, dumb ass."

Surprised, the three of them turned to look at Yusuke, who slowed from his run at the sight of his friends. He looked pissed about something. "What are you doing here?"

"Koenma asked us to investigate some strange energy here." Kurama looked closely at his friends' aura. "Is something wrong, Yusuke?"

"How much did he tell you?" the Demon Lord ignored the question.

"Yusuke-" he tried again, but to no avail.

"_How much did he tell you?_"

With his temper rose his power. Hiei took a discreet step back, and both Kurama and Kuwabara flinched. "Just that there have been unknown pulses of power, and that we should be careful as we proceed-"

"Leave." The order was ground out through clenched teeth.

"But-"

The sheer malice rolling off the detective was tangible, cutting off the _kitsune_ off before he could form a true protest. Chocolate brown eyes narrowed, and flashed red. "I said, leave. I can handle this."

"Urameshi-"

"Yusuke." All four boys whirled to look at a middle-aged woman holding a shopping bag and wearing a disapproving frown.

Yusuke slumped his shoulders, all anger visibly draining out of him. "Higurashi-san."

"What are doing here, boy? You aren't welcome." Kuwabara froze, and the detective flinched.

"Some of Kagome's friends stopped me, and said that they were worried about her. They wanted me to look into it."

Her expression could have frozen lava. "I can assure you that she is fine. Now leave."

All four of them winced yet again that night, but Yusuke took a determined step forward. "Please-"

"Grandma?" they all turned to look at a young boy, looking no more than twelve years in age, standing on the steps, his fox ears twitching in the cool air. "Do you need help with the groceries?" he was an adorable little thing, barely four feet tall and all innocence. The soft auburn of his hair and tail emphasized his brilliant turquoise eyes. Mrs. Higurashi smiled gently at him.

"No, I'm fine but you shouldn't be out here all by yourself. Kagome would be furious if anything happened to you."

The boy grinned. "I'm not worried! I'm much stronger than anyone here!" he turned and skipped up the steps. The spirit detectives returned their focus back to Mrs. Higurashi.

Yusuke was frowning. "Grandma?" he asked, causing the woman to scowl at him. "Usually, when your daughter has a son, you become that child's grandparent. But you wouldn't know about family, would you?" she pushed past him, and started up the stairs. All the boys gaped at her, then the detective snapped out of it, and ran up the stairs after her. The other three followed hot on his heels.

"Wait! Higurashi-san! Let me explain!"

She stopped on the step, and whirled to face Yusuke, her hands shaking noticeably. "Explain? What is there to explain?" she took a step closer to him. "_You abandoned your twin sister!"_

"I did no such thing! You have no idea what I went through to make sure she didn't get hurt! _I left so that they didn't get her!_"

Mrs. Higurashi didn't move from where she stood; though her expression softened from enraged to confused. "Wh-what?"

**_(scene break) (scene break)_**

Ten minutes later found the Spirit Detectives and Mrs. Higurashi sitting at her kitchen table, sipping warm tea, and waiting for an explanation from both Yusuke and Mawata (save for Hiei; he stood at the window, looking out into the yard). Finally, Urameshi sighed.

"I suppose that this really is all my fault. When Kagome and I were little, you took us to a park one day. I think you were talking to one of the other moms there, 'cause you didn't notice what we were doing. One of our toys bounced away, and I chased after it, leaving Kagome in the sandbox. I found it in the hands of an old friend of dad's, a man named Kaname. He was from the mob, and he told me a lot of things; about how Higurashi-san adopted us, and how mom was an alcoholic. And… he said that if Kagome and I didn't return to Atsuko, that they would drag us back, and kill the Higurashi's. I didn't believe him, and told him to buzz off. Then I went back to my sister, and forgot about him."

Yusuke stared at his teacup for a long moment, then continued. "Saitama Higurashi was dead by ten o' clock that night. The next day, Kaname came to the shrine, and told me that if I wanted Mawata to live, Kagome and I would have to leave right then. I couldn't… I mean, Kag' and I are _twins_. I couldn't let anything happen to her. So I told him, if he would just take me, and forget about my sister and Higurashi-san, that I would do whatever was asked of me. That I would give him my loyalty, if the people I cared for were safe.

"He made a phone call, to who I don't know, but when he finished, he said 'okay', and I left with him. I was taken across town, to the bad neighborhoods, and was introduced to our birth mother, Atsuko. Kaname told her that Kagome had died, but that I was there to be with her forever. She pulled me close and cried, telling me that she loved me, that she would never let me go. I remember the smell of booze on her breath, and I knew, even then, that she wasn't in her right mind." He stopped speaking to coat his dry throat in a layer of tea, then continued.

"For a couple weeks, I stayed there with her. No school, no outside contact, just mom and me." he scowled. "When she was there, that is. Even then, she would stay out for days at a time, leaving me at home with practically nothing to do… or eat. Then Kaname appeared again. He took me out, and told me what I'd have to do to keep Kagome safe. It involved me learning how to pick pockets, how to lie with a straight face, and how to open easy locks. One of his buddies taught me how to hot-wire cars, and how to win street fights. All this took a few years, and by the time I had a spare moment to myself, we were eight. I knew I wouldn't have much time, so as soon as mom was asleep I was gone. It took me most of the day, but I finally found the school Kag' was going to. There was a large tree across the street, and I scrambled up into it, finding a good branch to watch her with." Yusuke's eyes clouded over with pain as he relived the memory. "She looked so happy talking to her friends… I wanted that. I wanted her to smile at me like that too.

"I was about to get out of the tree when Kaname showed up. Bastard was smirking, like he knew something I didn't, an' I asked him what he wanted. He just kept staring at me, letting me stew before he answered. 'Something's come up, and we might need Kagome after all.' I thought my heart had stopped right then, and I got really mad, but before I could yell at him, he spoke again. He said that, if I wanted, I could take her place. So of course, I said I would. Then she was there.

"At some time during our talk, Kagome had seen me from across the street and made her way over. She knew who I was, remembered that I was her brother, and cried, asking me why I left. I couldn't tell her why; she would have wanted to help as well, and I would _never_ let that happen to her. She deserved a better life. So I lied." His breathing hitched. "I told her that I left because I hated her and that I never wanted to see her again. I said she was stupid and ugly and all kinds of stupid childish insults meant to hurt her feelings. I wanted her to hate me so that she wouldn't try to find me and get caught up in my twisted life. And it worked; she cried harder and ran back to the school, and Kaname took me home. He was still smiling.

"A week later, mom and I moved out of Tokyo proper to a smaller city farther north. Kaname had a meeting with his associate in that… place, and he introduced me to him. That man was a _monster_, and I don't feel like giving out details right now, but he said it was either me, or my sister. You fill in the blanks." The tone in his voice prevented anyone from asking for more details.

"I hated him, and one night, I snapped, and started beating the crap out of him with the lamp on his nightstand. When he stopped moving, I ran. Kaname grabbed me just outside the room, and laughed when I told him what had happened. He said that that was why I was there, but since I had bludgeoned the 'client' senseless, I would have some time on my hands. I was then forced to learn to pick up the slightest details in a person's behavior, how to tell who wants to fight, and how to bluff my way out of almost any situation.

"My years passed more or less like that, until that car accident when I was thirteen. Kaname disappeared after _that_ incident. Then Koenma got a hold of me, and I started working for him. I've been fighting demons to keep the human world safe; to keep my sister safe." Yusuke paused, and took a long drink of his now cool tea, before facing his one time foster mother.

"Now I find out that some one is hurting my dear, sweet sister, and you're telling me to _get lost_? Higurashi-san, I have to know; _what's going on with Kagome?_"

The rest of the Reikai Tantei exchanged silent glances. None of them, not even Kuwabara, had known about this. How much he had kept from them… but the real question on their minds was, 'how much more was he hiding?'

Mawata stared at her teacup, digesting what she had heard from her foster son. She didn't want to believe that he'd been hurt like that, but he never lied for sympathy. Quietly, she pushed back her chair, and went to the sink. She couldn't face him; not now, after years of pain from his supposed betrayal.

"What can you do, Yusuke?" her voice carried the despair in her heart. "These demons are too powerful, even for Kagome, yet she continues to go after them. What could you possibly do to help?"

"Higurashi-san, I've been fighting demons since after the accident. I can handle-"

"No you can't!" she shrieked, whirling around. Desperately, she wished her foster son would understand the severity of the situation. "You might be able to handle the lowlifes, but these are incredibly powerful monsters! You'd have to _be_ a demon to defeat them!"

Yusuke stood up from his seat and pulled Mawata closer to himself. Gently, he grasped her hand and placed it flat against his chest. She gasped, and jerked her hand away, trying to back away from him but stopped by the counter top.

"Do you see, Higurashi-san? I've already got that angle covered. Now tell me what's going on here." His eyes were hard and unforgiving, demanding answers.

Shaking, she pulled away and returned to her chair. "If you're wondering if Inuyasha is abusing her, he isn't. He hasn't been in Tokyo for about three months, according to Shippo-chan."

Yusuke raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"The _kitsune_ you saw earlier. Kagome adopted him a few years ago, when he showed up after the well was sealed."

Pushing several of his questions aside, he asked the first one that had popped into his head. "You're relying on a fox kitten for information? No offense, Kurama." He added after a moment. Kurama merely smiled at him.

"None taken. Actually, childling _kitsune_ have an incredible awareness. If he says that this Inuyasha is not in the city, then he isn't."

"But what if he's hiding his power?"

"Inuyasha isn't that kind of person. He's loud, obnoxious, and rude. He doesn't understand the meaning of the words 'quiet' or 'subtle'." Everyone turned to the living room where the _kitsune_ from before stood. His expression could have frozen water. "Inuyasha's a jerk, but he would _never_ lift a claw against my mama. He's still in love with her. And besides, he's been staying with his brother for a while now. They're trying to bond, or something." His small nose scrunched up in disgust at the thought. Suddenly, he turned to Mawata. "I came to let you know that mama's coming up the steps now. I'm going to go meet her."

"Alright. Be careful."

"I always am, Grandma." He vanished out the front door. All eyes turned to Yusuke, who suddenly seemed nervous.

"She's here. Fuck." He began to pace the length of the kitchen, tugging his hands through his heavily gelled hair. Mawata took pity on him and rose from her seat.

"I'll see if I can break the news to her gently. You wait here, Yusuke." In seconds she was outside, leaving the Demon Lord to fret in the kitchen. Kuwabara scowled at him.

"Why are you so worried? If she's as nice as you say, then you've got nothing to worry about."

"Um, Kuwabara?" Yusuke was pale as he looked at his best friend/rival.

"Yeah?"

"Remember in elementary school, when that one girl you teased hoisted you to the top of the flag pole by your under-shorts?"

"Yeah? What does she have to do with this?"

"This is the same girl."

The silence was broken by the man's soft whimper, and Yusuke would have laughed if he wasn't so scared himself. He and Kagome had few things in common, but one of them was that they both had violent tempers. Tonight, the Toushin expected to be yelled at continuously and slapped at least twice. Though he wouldn't blame her; he knew he deserved it.

Outside, voices were raised, then the front door was wrenched open, followed by rapid footsteps. None of the Tantei were expecting what they saw. A young woman with raven black hair just past her shoulders and sharp blue eyes stood glowering at Yusuke. The skin around her right eye was green, indicating a healing bruise, and her jeans were ripped along one side. Her sweater and pants were splattered with a rich green substance that every one knew to be demon blood.

"You," her voice was soft, but carried unmistakable tones of fury. "What in the Nine Hells are you doing here, _traitor_?"

"I need to talk to you about something."

"Well, whatever it is, I don't want to hear it. Get out."

"Kag-"

"What on Earth could possibly be so important that you felt the need to intrude in my life?" she snarled at him, causing the windows to tremble. Hiei moved from his current position to stand near Kurama, both watching the altercation in silence.

Reaching into one of his jacket pockets, Yusuke pulled an ancient scroll out and lightly tossed it to her. "I found that in Raizen's study when I was cleaning it out the other day."

Shocked blue eyes jerked from the scroll to meet his. "How do you know Raizen?"

"He's our ancestral father, and he supervised my training until he finally died. How do you know him?" suspicion colored his voice and she snorted.

"I met him once when I was visiting Sesshoumaru back- a few years ago." No one missed the slip, yet no one commented on it. Kagome took the opportunity to open the scroll and read it contents. Less than a minute later she had paled and her hands trembled slightly. "Does this mean what I think it means?"

"It does."

Wordlessly, she slumped into the chair Yusuke had been sitting in not ten minutes ago. The scroll dangled from her fingers and was rescued by Kurama, who looked it over.

"I can't… I mean, it's not possible…"

"Kag', it's definitely possible. You have demon blood."

"No, I can't." she turned her head to look at her brother. "I'm a priestess, Yusuke. If I had any demon blood it would have been purified out of me years ago, when I was first dragged down the well. I'm completely human now."

A.N.: Sorry about the semi-cliffy, but it's late, and I'm not thinking well enough to continue to create. Please leave a review if you want to read more, or simply yell at me for leaving you hanging.


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